Land-based climate mitigation in China

This working paper examines China's greenhouse gas emissions and land-based carbon stocks, evaluating the potential for land-based mitigation technologies (LMTs) for carbon dioxide removal. The authors analyze scientific literature, policy documents, and expert interviews to identify barriers and opportunities for achieving net-zero emissions by 2060.

• China is identified as one of approximately 10 countries globally with the highest potential for land-based mitigation technologies (LMTs), which currently represent the majority of carbon dioxide removal efforts.
• Land-based climate mitigation has not been prioritized in Chinese policy to the same degree as the energy and industry sectors. Many existing land use policies impact carbon sequestration only indirectly, meaning LMT development often happens by default rather than through intentional policy design.
• Forestry is the most prominent land use sector for carbon sequestration in China, receiving the most policy attention and inclusion in the nationally determined contribution (NDC) through afforestation, restoration, and management.
• While the 2022 Agriculture and Rural Areas Emission Reduction and Carbon Sequestration Implementation Plan signals a shift toward the agricultural sector, other opportunities—such as wetlands, grasslands, biochar, and bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS)—remain underexploited and largely absent from the current policy landscape.
• China aims for net-zero by 2060 and a carbon peak by 2030. Achieving these goals will require improved policy frameworks and incentives, such as the 2023 restart of the China Certified Emission Reduction (CCER) trial scheme, though this is currently mostly limited to forestry. A primary barrier across LMTs is a lack of technical readiness, standardized procedures, and knowledge.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2024). Land-based climate mitigation in China. https://www.sei.org/publications/land-climate-mitigation-china/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Land-based climate mitigation in China. 2024. https://www.sei.org/publications/land-climate-mitigation-china/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Land-based climate mitigation in China |date=7 February 2024 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/land-climate-mitigation-china/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2024landbased, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Land-based climate mitigation in China}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2024}, month = feb, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/land-climate-mitigation-china/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }